Jungle Thorns

As I was walking on a jungle trail, and I had been observing everything around me; fascinated by all the new and exciting things to look at. I was hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of some jungle birds or maybe even a monkey if possible. However I was failing to watch where I walked. Across my path lay a jungle vine which is guarded by very sharp and plentiful needles, and anything that comes in contact with it can have a very painful experience. It grabbed my ankles and before I could escape it’s clutches, it left a ragged and bleeding wound there. Yelping in pain, and sputtering at the at the cursed plant I hobbled down the rest of the trail.
So many times in life we get distracted by things around us, we watch the more exciting views, rather than our own paths. When we are distracted from the path that God has set before us, Satan can cleverly set his snares in our path way that can leave us wounded and bleeding.

A Task Before Me...

PR ok, I thought I can do that. Can't be that hard right? programming probably involves papers, pictures and coming up with ideas, and whatever ease they throw at me. One small detail I forgot to consider, IT'S IN SPANISH!
Jenni excitedly chats with me, telling me how excited she is to have me help her. still clueless that I had spent $600 on a plane ticket to come do, I smile at Jenni's commit.
"Come over to my house when you're finished eating breakfast." she tells me. "Ok" I reply, blissfully launching into my food.
I march over to her house to receive my work, a notebook, a hole puncher and a stack of receipts a foot high! little did I know how many hours I would be spending hunting, punching, filing, and cross checking with the computer's list! I was to receive a head ache to every fifteen receipts. And at one point I fell asleep filing them, to have Ever telling me "Wake Up, you still have more to do!"
65% of the receipts would be missing, meaning I would have to hunt for about ten minutes to make sure it didn't get shuffled and then if I couldn't still find I would mark the number in color in the computer and later go back to fill in the receipt by hand. then there would be random receipts that just appeared to have no home. what was I to do with them? Yes I came all the way to Peru to file receipts written in Spanish. How insane could I be?


I stared at Francis who sat across the table from me. dirt and grim staining his clothes and sweat dripping off him. within three hours of arriving in Pucallpa, by air, he was handed a machete that was to be his companion for the next three weeks. He would be spending hours in the hot sun attacking weedy invaders on the pineapple the lemon, and the yucca field. I wondered, God you sent us here to file receipts and banish weeds? why not something exciting like construct a building or help some one with a health issue. I wanted to touch a life in some small way.
But as I question God he reminds me patiently that He is trusting me with the small things and if I can achieve the small things, He will give me bigger things to tackle.
And so I wait for the next mission that God will set before me and I Pray it will not be receipts again but if it so, I know how to tackle it. And if you ask me if I would go back? I would go back on the soonest flight out.

The Peruvian Way

•Flying into Pucallpa, over grass huts and tin roofs, you wonder what on earth you got your-self into.

•Your juice is given to you in a bag, and you simply drink it by biting a corner of it and sucking on it.

•Everyone stares at you; especially if you’re a girl- the guys will whistle or cat call you if you’re not walking with a guy.

•You hug the girl with pink-eye anyways.

•You get kisses on the cheek.

•Chicken is actually pretty good as long as you don’t think about where it came from.

•I don’t suggest coming to Peru if you’re a germ phobia. A lot of times you just tell yourself it’s clean.

•Carpooling is defined as three in the front, four in the back, and five in the bed of the truck with the weed-whackers and a stove.

•Lightning is beautiful at night, and you fall asleep watching fireflies dance above your mosquito net.

•Taking a bucket shower takes talent…especially if you have long hair.

•Be prepared to bring your own TP.

•French fries are better than McDonalds.

•Your lawn mower is your arm and a metal thing called a machete: warning first time use of a machete may result in blisters.

•A mop is your own invention.

•A battle with ants is an all out war.

•Washing machines are very portable, they are attached to your arms and they function with a bar of soap.

•Cold Papaya is like a piece of heaven.

•Peruvians have an awesome sense of humor.

•Don’t wear shorts when you’re macheting a pineapple field.

•75, is cold and a light jacket is required; warning though your first day you may feel like you’re having a heat stroke.

•Guess what’s for breakfast, lunch, and supper!?! Yep that’s right, rice and beans!

•Playing charades gets really old, but you do get really good at it.

•Being on time, who ever heard of that?

•Someone’s house is smaller than your bathroom, and only the upper middle class have cement floors.

•Kids are so easy to make friends with.

•Working for God is amazing!